


You're Dangerous (and you don't even know it)

by Batfink



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anger, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hurt Steve, Kissing, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Protective Steve, Secrets, Sleepwalking, Stabbing, Stitches, Swearing, Tony Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 14:22:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4838462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batfink/pseuds/Batfink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve awoke to the familiar weight of Bucky pressing down on his side, along with the also sadly familiar feel of a blade tip being pressed against the underside of a rib.</p>
<p>“Who are you?”  Bucky growled his metal arm pressing down across Steve's collar bones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Dangerous (and you don't even know it)

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a line from Dangerous by Ghost of the Robot.

Steve awoke to the familiar weight of Bucky pressing down on his side, along with the also sadly familiar feel of a blade tip being pressed against the underside of a rib.

“Who are you?” Bucky growled his metal arm pressing down across Steve's collar bones.

“My name is Captain Steven Grant Rogers of the 107th, Howling Commandos. Your name is Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, also of the 107th, Howling Commandos.” Steve stated as he had been doing every night since Bucky returned. “We've been best friends since I was six years old.”

Bucky glared down at him, suspicion in his eyes. Steve felt the tip of the blade slide easily into his skin as Bucky shifted. “I don't believe you.” He hissed.

Steve closed his eyes against the sting of the blade. “The door's open Sergeant. You're free to go if you want to.”

Bucky's eyes shifted to the door, although he didn't let up the pressure on Steve. The bedroom door was indeed open. He pressed the blade in just a little further, before he shifted to stand from the bed. “Stay there. Don't try to follow me.”

Steve nodded and Bucky darted for the door. As soon as he was out of the room, Steve let out a relieved breath. “Jarvis, engage Winter Soldier protocols.”

“Done, Captain.” Jarvis replied. “Sir is in his lab if you require medical assistance.”

Steve looked down at his blood soaked t-shirt. “Thanks Jarvis.” He hauled himself out of bed after pressing his hand to the wound, grabbed a clean t-shirt and headed for the elevator.

 

“How long are you going to let this go on?” Tony sighed as he stitched up Steve's side. “Another inch up and it would have crossed into last nights one.”

“It's fine.” Steve huffed. “At least he's not trying to kill me.”

“Steve.” Tony shook his head. “He's jammed a knife in you every night since he got here.”

“We both know if he was trying to kill me, I'd be dead already.” Steve winced as Tony pulled the thread tight.

“That's not an excuse.” Tony glared at him. “You need to talk to him about this.”

“I can't.” Steve insisted. “You've seen how he gets any time he remembers something of his time as the Winter Soldier. It tears him up. It's why he won't talk to the therapists. He doesn't want to remember.”

“Well then for fuck's sake keep him out of your bed.” Tony tried.

“I can't do that either. Not without giving him a reason.” Steve shook his head.

Tony snipped the ends of the thread and stood back from Steve. “That'll do you then. Same time tomorrow?”

Steve hopped down from Tony's workbench pulling on the clean t-shirt. “Thanks Tony. I appreciate your help.”

Tony caught his eye. “Not nearly as much as you appreciate me keeping my mouth shut.”

Steve clapped him on the shoulder a sad expression on his face. “That too.”

 

“For fuck's sake Steve!” Tony exclaimed the following night when Steve appeared back in his lab, hand held firmly to his side again. “This has got to stop.”

Steve wouldn't meet his eyes. He hopped up on the workbench and removed his hand, pulling off his t-shirt so that Tony could get a look at his side. The knife wound was shallow as always, but had caught the end of the one from last night, slicing through a few of the stitches. Even with Steve's advanced healing, that was not a good thing.

Tony sighed and wiped antiseptic across the wound before setting about stitching Steve up again.

 

“Barnes!” Tony yelled when he caught sight of Bucky the following morning headed for the gym. “We need to talk.”

Bucky stopped and turned back to look at Tony. “Sure thing. What's up?” Tony stopped when he reached him and stared at him for a moment. “Tony?”

“I'm thinking.” Tony replied so Bucky waited. “When was the last time you saw Steve without his shirt on?” He asked at last.

“About seventy something years.” Bucky replied.

“Is that strange?” Tony asked.

Bucky thought for a moment. “I guess. I hadn't really thought about it.” Now that he did think about it, it did seem a little bit unusual that Steve kept going into the bathroom every time he wanted to get changed, he'd never been shy around Bucky in the past. “Is there something I should know about?” He asked, suddenly worried.

“Yeah.” Tony nodded. “I think there is.”

“What?” Bucky demanded.

“I've told you all I can.” Tony shrugged. “You're gonna have to go to the source if you want to know more.”

 

That night, when Steve came out of the bathroom after going in there to get ready for bed, Bucky was sitting fully clothed on the edge of the bed waiting for him. “Hey Stevie.” Bucky grinned at him and Steve paused. He knew that look. It was a look that had been very familiar to him once upon a time.

“Bucky?” He questioned. Bucky held out his hand and Steve stepped cautiously forwards to take it.

Bucky pulled him closer and then stood and wrapped Steve in his arms. He pressed a kiss to his lips and slid his hands across his back. Steve moaned and opened his mouth to admit Bucky's tongue as Bucky pushed closer to him. They hadn't done this since the war, nowadays they just slept in the same bed for comfort and to keep the nightmare's at bay. Steve had wondered if maybe Bucky had forgotten this part of their past. He was so caught up in the moment that he didn't notice when Bucky's hand slipped under his t-shirt, missed the significance of feeling Bucky's fingers dance across his skin right up until the nails of Bucky's right hand caught against the previous nights stitches, making him gasp and not in the good way.

Immediately, Bucky jerked back, Steve's t-shirt caught in his right hand. Steve's eyes went wide and he tried to pull away but Bucky held tight. Pulled his t-shirt up and stared at his side. Scars, scabs and stitches were scattered all across his left side from the bottom of his ribs a good few inches down. “Who did this?” Bucky demanded.

Steve wouldn't look at him. Bucky grabbed his chin with his metal hand and forced his face around to meet his. Still Steve avoided his eyes. “Steve.” Bucky growled. “Tell me.” He moved his head until he caught Steve's eye. “Who. Did. This?”

Steve sighed. “You did.” He whispered.

Bucky released him suddenly and jumped back. “What?” Panic flared in his eyes and he dropped down onto the bed.

Steve instantly knelt in front of him hands on his thighs. “I didn't want you to know.”

Bucky gaped at him. “Stevie.” He was almost crying. “How long...?” He broke off, unable to finish the sentence.

“Every night, Buck.” Steve replied reaching up to wrap his arms around Bucky.

Bucky froze, then jerked back, scrambling across the bed and away from Steve. “How can you?” He gaped at Steve confused as Steve reached out for him. “How can you let me near you. Let me sleep in your bed, knowing I'm going to...?” He gestured desperately at Steve's side.

“It's not your fault, Bucky.” Steve implored him, reaching out again only for Bucky to dart back further. “It's not like you're doing it on purpose. You just forget who I am is all.”

“Jesus Christ, Steve. I could kill you!” Bucky was crying now arms wrapped around himself as he continued to back away from Steve.

“No, see. That's where you're wrong.” Steve replied, pulling up his t-shirt. “Look at the positioning.” He gestured to the various wounds. “None of these are in a fatal position. Well below my lungs and all vital organs.”

Bucky had his hands fisted in his hair and was staring in horror at Steve's side. Steve quickly pulled his t-shirt back down and finally caught him in the corner of the room wrapping his arms around him. “This is bad, Stevie.” Bucky cried against his shoulder. “Real bad.”

“No, no, no.” Steve insisted hugging him tighter. “It'll be okay. I promise.”

Bucky lifted his head. “How can you say that?” He pushed Steve back, held him at a distance. “No!” He exclaimed then, pushing hard against Steve and dodging past him. “I've got to...” He darted for the door and bolted from the room.

Steve took after him but Bucky was quicker. More familiar with the stairs. Steve had to admit, he preferred the elevators whereas Bucky was jumping over the railings from floor to floor. “Jarvis.” Steve yelled. “Winter Soldier protocols.”

“In place Captain.” Jarvis replied.

The Winter Soldier protocols had been put in place by Tony once he found out there was a sleep walking knife happy assassin in his tower. They restricted Bucky to accessing only floors that were currently unoccupied. At this time of night it meant he had access to pretty much the whole tower, except the floors that were used as living quarters for the other avengers. Usually he would just prowl the tower until he 'woke up' somewhere. Steve had told him about the sleep walking part.

Bucky could however still request access to Tony's lab, if he was awake enough to convince Jarvis he wasn't a threat. That meant that by the time Steve caught up to him, he had already locked himself in the tank that was usually reserved for the Hulk.

“Tony, let him out.” Steve insisted.

“No can do.” Tony replied.

“Tony!” Steve demanded.

“Hey, I didn't put him in there, Steve. That was his choice.” Tony shook his head. “Let him stay in there tonight. You could do with a night off.”

“You can't leave him in there.” Steve pleaded going over to the glass door and pressing his hand against it.

“My choice.” Bucky informed him. “From now on I sleep in here.” He approached the glass and placed his hand against it, opposite Steve's. “I can't keep hurting you. I won't keep hurting you.”

“You're hurting me now.” Steve whispered, leaning his head against the glass.

“Not the same, that's a hurt we both can live with.” Bucky sighed.

Tony stepped up beside Steve and caught him by the arm. “Come on. Over here.” He pulled Steve away from the tank and led him over to the cot he had set up against one wall. “Grab an end. We'll move this over there.” He pointed back over to the tank. “Then you can keep an eye on each other.” They lifted the cot and carried it over, placing it against the glass. “There.” Tony smiled at Steve. “Jarv, dim the lights over here.” The lights in the tank and in the area outside it dimmed until there was only a faint glow. Bucky went over to his bed and pulled it away from the wall before going around behind it and pushing at it until he had it lined up beside Steve's on the other side of the glass.

Tony left them to it once they were both settled, lying on their respective beds, turned to face each other through the glass. Tony crossed back to the other side of his lab and went back to work. “Jarv, let me know if the Winter Soldier shows up.”

“At once sir.” Jarvis replied.

 

As it turned out, Jarvis didn't need to alert Tony at all. The sound of a metal fist meeting glass was all he needed. He bolted from his stool and dashed over to Steve who was standing now, beside his bed. “Jarv, lights.”

The lights came on and Tony stared in at the Winter Soldier. He was pounding furiously against the glass. Steve watching on distraught as Bucky snarled insults at him and demanded to be released.

“This is bad.” Steve said as Tony slid to a stop beside him. “I've never seen him like this.”

“Because he hasn't been held captive since he got here. Once he was done getting stab happy with you, he was free to roam the building. Now he's trapped.” Tony flinched despite knowing how secure the tank was when Bucky landed a particularly vicious blow to it. His bed had been tossed, the frame up ended. It too had been designed to withstand the Hulk though and therefore he hadn't managed to pull the actual bed frame apart.

Eventually, Tony persuaded Steve to come away and leave him to it. Steve hovered in Tony's lab, effectively distracting him from any work. He pulled across a monitor and flicked on a surveillance camera that was pointed at the tank then pushed Steve onto a stool facing it.

After a few hours, Bucky settled down and fell asleep on the mattress that was now lying on the floor. Another hour and Tony managed to persuade Steve out of the lab and back to his proper bed.

From then on, it became their routine. Every night, when it was time for bed, Bucky despite Steve's protests would go down to the Hulk tank in Tony's lab and lock himself in. Steve would stay with him until he fell asleep but as soon as he did, Steve would leave. Bucky didn't get nearly as enraged if he thought he was only being watched by a camera and not by Steve in person.

During the days, he went to therapy and let the Stark Industries medics run endless tests on him, trying to find his trigger. He hated every minute of it, but he hated even more the idea that he had been hurting Steve without even knowing, so he kept it up even if he was remembering things he would rather not.

It took four months but finally, Bucky managed to sleep through the night in the tank. Another month before he was willing to risk returning to Steve's bedroom. He was too nervous though and ended up staying awake the whole night just watching Steve sleep.

He kept that up for a week before he fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. It was just what he needed though as he managed to sleep through the night and Steve woke up in the morning to Bucky snuggled against his side, no blades in sight.

He leaned down and tilted Bucky's chin up, kissing him awake. “Hey babe.” He smiled at Bucky as his eyes flickered open. “You did it.”

Bucky pulled back and sat up. He grabbed the hem of Steve's t-shirt and pushed it up, running his hand across the smooth flesh. He let out a shaky breath once he was sure Steve was okay and leaned forwards, pressing a kiss to Steve's side. “Thank you.”

Steve pulled him up again and pressed their lips back together. “I love you, Buck.”

“Love you too, Stevie.” Bucky replied kissing him again.

 

And of course it couldn't be entirely that easy and yes, Steve would wake up with a knife in his side one more time before this was all over, but right now? Right now it was perfect and Bucky and Steve were more than willing to enjoy it while it lasted, because right now, with Steve's weight pressing down over Bucky, their bare skin sticking with the sweat, this was the moment, that would pull them back. This was what would silence the winter soldier in the end.

The power that Steve gave Bucky by loving him and letting him love him back, was greater than anything Hydra could do to him. Greater than Bucky's own fears could do to him. Steve's unending love, devotion and patience were more powerful than his super-serum. More powerful than his shield. This was the real Steve Rogers super power. The one he's had from the beginning. Even pre-serum, Steve would have faced down the Winter Soldier without flinching and Bucky loved him for it.


End file.
